Mattlichtenstadter

The public’s awareness of soccer’s concussion crisis has improved dramatically over the past year. With episodes such as Christoph Kramer’s during the World Cup final, Hugo Lloris against Everton two seasons ago and many others, the tide has turned in concussion awareness – an important and necessary step. Now, with the settlement of a lawsuit […]

Even if both Spurs and Arsenal were languishing in the relegation zone, or even the third tier, the North London Derby would always be a game that defined seasons. So this Sunday’s tilt, with Arsenal tied on points at the top of the table and having won five Premier League games in a row, and […]

A disastrous October for the United States men at both youth and senior levels left technical director and senior head coach Jurgen Klinsmann with questions to answer about the direction of his national team. But Klinsmann's selection for November's World Cup qualifiers, a chance to shed light on that direction, still leaves plenty of questions unresolved. The US begins CONCACAF's fourth round of 2018 […]

One of the issues getting plenty of mileage deals around US soccer circles is the number of American players in major European leagues. That number is alarmingly low, especially when compared to the number of Mexican players playing at the same level. But one area where Americans have made considerable headway in just the last […]

After New York City FC’s first season ended in turmoil, controversy and a performance that was expected by most everyone except City’s owners back in Manchester, it seems that the plug is already being pulled. Sacking Kreis and his $1 million salary (way higher than any other manager in MLS) might seem like a no-brainer […]

On a day that was set up to provide vindication for Jurgen Klinsmann and US Soccer, the day only brought more questions, more anger, and more blank expressions. On a day when critical goals for Klinsmann himself could have been met, the US failed to meet them, and now everyone is left to wonder just […]

Jurgen Klopp’s arrival at Anfield signals a statement of intent from Liverpool. No longer will they be smitten with the flavor of the month manager domestically or try desperately to cling on to past glories. Liverpool are finally acting like the big club they often proclaim to be. But not only does this feel like […]

Watching Brendan Rodgers this season for Liverpool echoes chimes of another dearly departed Premier League manager who promised more than he could ever deliver to a hungry supporters base, and this might not be a comparison Liverpudlians will want to see: this feels like Andre Villas-Boas’ second season with Spurs. After another dour, drab and […]

Spurs' somewhat sluggish start and typical transfer nonsense has obfuscated something quite interesting about the start of their season, something that needs to be highlighted more: The versatility in the squad might be the reason Spurs break through this season, even though expectations have been lowered. A staple of Mauricio Pochettino’s soccer philosophy not only […]

Since almost nobody can get information out of CONCACAF legitimately, why not let a coach inadvertently slip an announcement into a mundane post-game press conference? Ben Olsen did just that this week, perhaps letting the cat out of the bag on a major move that will hugely benefit MLS teams. In 2017, it appears the […]

If it seems like many soccer writers in this country have been recycling the same game recaps, features and columns about the US Men’s National Team recently, your eyes are not deceiving you. After another harrowing performance against a team of pedigree in the international game, there are more questions than answers going into one […]

The US Men’s National Team was never as good a team as indicated when they beat the Netherlands and Germany away from home. Nor were they as bad as indicated when they played a sub-par Gold Cup. The truth often lies in between. And Friday night's performance against Peru followed much of the same script. The […]

For the first time since 2008-09, Spurs have gone the first four games of a season without a win. Three points is good enough for 16th in the table, but is the state of affairs in N17 that poor? They outplayed Everton and were unlucky not to score, played better than Manchester United at Old Trafford, […]

Another deadline day has come and gone, and sure enough, Tottenham Hotspur supporters are angry. The Saido Berahino transfer saga ended with everyone on all sides steaming and fuming, and without a new midfielder to add, the tide has started to truly turn on Daniel Levy and ENIC. But, should it? Is there more to […]

When Arsene Wenger complains about something, the soccer world usually gives the complaint its 15 seconds of glory and then moves on just as quickly. But if there’s one element of modern soccer he complains about consistently and doesn’t get enough attention for it, it’s his strong dislike of the transfer window. Specifically, he loathes […]